The Long-Awaited Romance
by hitop211
Summary: Hino tells most of her fellow competitors off, ensuring that she'll never profess her love to them. But how do they handle it? And will Hino ever find love? WARNING: This fan fiction contains content that is intended for mature audiences (i.e., 18 years and older). Reader's discretion is advised.


Disclaimer: La Corda D'Oro and all of its characters were created by Yuki Kure. This fan fiction is based on the anime series La Corda D'Oro which was directed by Kojin Ochi and is a property of Sentai Filmworks. I claim no ownership of the anime La Corda D'Oro or any of its characters. This fan fiction is solely for the purposes of entertainment with no intention for financial profit. I would like to thank Yuki Kure, Kojin Ochi and all of those responsible for the production of La Corda D'Oro for making this anime.

**WARNING:** This fan fiction contains content that is intended for mature audiences (i.e., 18 years and older). Reader's discretion is advised.

La Corda D'Oro

"The Long-Awaited Romance"

A Fan Fiction by hitop211

* * *

**Part 1 – The Wrong Tree**

* * *

Kahoko Hino made her way to the conference room to meet with her fellow classmates in the competition. She had received word earlier that Akihiko Kira, the newest director of Seiso Academy, was reinstating the competition where each student was going to play solo pieces.

"This is going to be so great," Hino said to herself with excitement. "I can't wait to get back up on that stage again. I don't know what came of Kira to decide to do the competition again but I'm just happy to be doing it again."

Hino walks into the room with everyone there, with the exception of Fuyuumi, waiting patiently for Kira and Kanazawa to make their decision on their solo pieces.

"Hello everyone," greeted Hino cheerfully, to which everyone else greeted back with the same amount of enthusiasm except for Shimizu who was half asleep as well as Tsukimori who was always a bit cold in demeanor.

"So Kahoko," said Hihara with his usual bundle of energy, "It must be exciting that you'll be performing again. I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks, Hihara," replied Hino. "Now I just need to decide what I'm going to perform."

"Yeah," responded Tsuchiura, "But now we've been instructed to take the difficulty level up a notch. That might be a bit of a challenge for both of us General Studies students," he continued unenthused.

"There's nothing to worry about," said Kaji. "I think that everyone is going to do just fine," he continued.

"Well, thanks," said Hino cheerfully.

"Especially you, Hino," said Kaji, leaning toward the violinist.

Hino backed away from Kaji with a distraught look on her face. "Ehgh…thanks, Kaji," she said feeling uneasy.

"I wish you the only best of luck this competition," said Kaji, now grabbing her hand to kiss it. Hino immediately pulled her hand away.

"Please stop doing that," said Hino feeling uncomfortable, to which Tsukimori took notice and let Kaji know that he's had enough.

"You know Kaji," began Tsukimori in frustration with the violist, "I'm starting to get tired of that 'fake' gentleman attitude of yours."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Kaji, taking slight offense to the blue-haired violinists comment. "I assure you that there's nothing fake about my gentleman nature. It's just how I was raised, that's all. I sincerely apologize if it was bothering you."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," responded Tsukimori motioning his hands toward Hino, implying that Kaji should apologize to her.

"Well, I never thought that you'd stand up to Hino like that, Tsukimori, or _any_ woman while we're on the subject," said Tsuchiura coldly.

"What did you say!?" said Tsukimori in anger.

"Guys, relax alright?" said Yunoki in a sly manner. "She's not into any one of you, OK? I think we all know who she looks up to for her own well-being," he continued leaning toward Hino and running his fingers through her crimson hair.

"Get away from me," said Hino in disgust, slapping Yunoki's hand away.

"That's certainly not the impression that I'd give to a lady there, Yunoki," said Kaji in annoyance with the flautist.

"You're no one to talk with the way you've made her feel," replied Yunoki.

"Look, I was being a gentleman not a _creep_," retorted Kaji, growing angry.

"Are you trying to say something!?" said Yunoki, matching in level of anger.

"Calm down, you guys," said Hihara. "We shouldn't turn against each other like this. You remember the last time that this happened. Please stop," he begged.

As Hino back away from the chaos she bumped into Shimizu who woke up from his half sleep. "Oh, sorry Shimizu," she said.

"Oh, Kahako," said Shimizu slowly, "I had this amazing dream about you just now, but I've forgotten what it was all about," he continued in a daze. "What's with the commotion?" he asked looking over at the rest of the group.

Hino started backing away from the rest of the group in panic as she observed the situation; Tsukimori and Tsuchiura arguing with each other, Yunoki and Kaji arguing with each other as well, Hihara doing his best to calm everybody down and Shimizu in his own world outside of the dual confrontation. The scene was getting too much for her until she couldn't take it anymore.

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" screamed Hino as she snapped, to which everyone instantly quiet down and was immediately drawn to her attention.

"This has gone far enough. Look," continued Hino, with anger in her voice but being as sincere as possible. "You're all very talented people, but each one of you… and I'm sorry for bringing this up, each one of you have certain characteristics that turn me off."

She directed her eyes toward Tsukimori. "Tsukimori, I know that you mean well, but you come off as being cold-hearted and I personally find that depressing."

"Hmph," whispered Tsuchiura to himself. "It's about time somebody let the cat out the bag on that one," he continued.

"You're not that much better yourself," said Hino to Tsuchiura. "I realize that you have your disagreements with Tsukimori, but that doesn't mean that you couldn't have any mutual respect for him. At the very least you and he could talk about a situation that you don't agree with instead of treating it like a sore loser."

"Now, wait a minute…" said Tsuchiura annoyed. Before he could continue, Hino directed her attention to Yunoki.

"Yunoki," said Hino, now growing angrier by the second. "I'm getting so sick of your split personality, how one day you're the sweetest guy and the next you're a total jerk. I can't believe that I didn't say anything about this until now. The next time that you attempt to seduce me, make sure you wear a cup!"

As everyone gasped in shock, looking fearful as Hino was displaying her anger with the rest of the group. Hihara looked at Yunoki with a surprised look on his face. "Yunoki, is that true? Have you really been acting like that?" asked Hihara with concern for his friend.

"Hihara" said Hino looking less angry, as the trumpeter quickly turned his eyes toward her. "You're a very enthusiastic guy, never willing to give up whatsoever, but I'm afraid that your energy level is too much for me. It would wear me out."

"Shimizu," continued Hino to the cellist who appeared half-asleep, "You're one of the most dedicated students that I know, but your constant sleepiness and slow-and-steady pace are not exciting enough for me."

"And Kaji," said Hino, reaching her conclusion to the latest member of the competition, "I know that you're being such a gentleman, but let's get real here; you're story of how I'm the one you're looking for after you heard me play in the park… while it sounds romantic, we barely even know each other and therefore your story seems a bit crazy to me. Plus your constantly wanting to kiss my hand is starting to creep me out. You've got to know when someone gives you the impression that enough is enough."

Hino took a very deep breath of relief for addressing the elephants in the room. Before she continued with her explanation she noticed that everyone glared at her, some with slight sorrow and others with mild anger. She observed everyone's expressions for a slight moment before taking another breath to finish.

"Look," said Hino. "I know that you all have very different personalities, but I don't think that any of you are the one for me. While I don't know who the one for me is, I know deep down that it would not work out between myself and any one of you. I'm so sorry," she said, now with tears in her eyes, "But that's just how I feel right now. I'm sorry, I have to go now" she finished rushing out of the conference room.

The rest of the members watched her run out of the room with the same looks on their faces, but they didn't bother chasing after her because they feel that it would do them no good. After a moment of silence they turned toward each other, shifting their eyes as the collective skeletons in the closet of the group have been revealed.

"Well, that's it then," said Tsukimori nonchalantly, being the first to speak out.

"How can you say that?" asked Kaji in disappointment. "You realize that we're all at fault for causing Hino to leave you know," he continued.

"Wait a minute," retorted Tsuchiura, "Don't redistribute the blame on everybody here. I'm not the one that set her off by making her feel uncomfortable," he continued angrily.

"Look, I was being a gentleman and not a creep like somebody else here," replied Kaji, looking at Yunoki.

"So this is my fault that she's ditched us!?" said Yunoki in a rage. "We can take this outside if that's what you want," he demanded.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" screamed Kanazawa as he walked into the class room, to which everybody instantly fell silent while trying too hard to hide their fear as he approached them like a military drill sergeant. "I heard the whole thing from the other side of the door way and she's probably right about every word that she's said. So the one girl that you were all after has rejected you... my advice to you is to get over it and move on," he continued very bitterly.

"It's not like there aren't plenty of other girls out there for you to satisfy your needs whatever they may be. I've made the mistake of obsessing over a girl before and it cost me my career as a singer. The last thing I need is for any of you to make the same mistake I made. You're all too young to be labeled as potential lost causes, so I'll say it again; get over it and move on," finished Kanazawa, taking a deep breath to blow off the steam.

After Kanazawa finished his speech everyone else displayed a sense of shame on their faces, not saying a word as they have no way to defend themselves.

"We'll reschedule this meeting for another time," said Kanazawa. "In the meantime, each one of you should use the time until then to contemplate your actions. You may feel miserable now, but the truth will ultimately set you free. Now get outta here," he finished as each remaining member of the competition filed in a single line walking slowly out of the room.

* * *

**Part 2 – Practice Makes Perfect**

* * *

Hino stood in a practice room with her back against the wall, her head lowered in shame after she had unloaded her anger with the rest of her class mates in the competition. She hoped that practicing would help her take her mind off of it but she's too overwhelmed with guilt.

'How am I going to face them now?' she thought to herself. 'They all seemed upset with me. Well, maybe I was too hard on them. Perhaps I should apologize for explaining my frustrations with them.' After she finished her thoughts she sighed in disappointment with herself without noticing that Lili appeared in the practice room.

"Kahoko Hino," greeted Lili.

"Oh, hey Lili," said Hino, looking depressed.

"Are you feeling alright?" asked Lili taking notice of Hino's mood.

"Well, there was a big argument with the rest of my class mates in the competition and I told them off," said Hino. "I feel bad for it and I don't want it to affect my performance but I feel that it will. But I'm more worried about everybody else. I don't know how all of this is going to affect their performances and if they do terribly then I feel that it'll be all my fault."

"Don't worry about it," said Lili, "It's not your fault. Each one of them seem to have… let's say, their own special way, but that's nothing that you have control over. They're on their own for adjusting their personal lifestyles, but I'm sure their playing will come together just fine. You worry about yourself and your own playing. I believe in you, Kahoko Hino."

As Hino looked up at Lili, she began to feel more confident in herself. "OK, then. I'll do my best," proclaimed Hino.

"That's the spirit," said Lili, feeling proud of the violinist. "Here's some more sheet music for you. Now let's get out there and make some music. You can do it, Kahoko Hino!" With a wave of the wand the fairy disappears leaving a trail of fairy dust that quickly dissipates in the air, and a hail storm of sheet music rains on Hino. She blocks the music from her eyes as it pours down on her and just as she thinks that it's over a large music book lands on her face to which she grudgingly organizes together.

"I guess he _really_ believes in me," sighed Hino, "But that's OK, I'll just learn to play all of this new music and give it all I've got. I can do this!" she proclaimed. Right before she was going to practice she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

The door slowly opens as Fuyuumi slowly peaks her head inside. "Kahoko," she said quietly. "Were you just talking to someone right now?"

"Oh, Fuyuumi," said Hino nervously. "No, I was just looking through my music and deciding on what…to…work…on…huh!?"

As Hino was looking through her music she noticed that Lili had given her a library of works of increased difficulty. Fuyuumi walks over to look at the music and was amazed at the list.

"It looks like you have a lot of really great music there," said Fuyuumi in her usual shy demeanor. "So is there anything from here that you were going to play?" she asked.

"Well, I'm still working on it," answered Hino putting her new library of music in her bag. "I was going to warm up with something more familiar," she continued, pulling out Tchaikovsky's 'Melodie.'

"Oh, I can accompany you if you want," said Fuyuumi jumping to the occasion, to which Hino accepted.

As Fuyuumi took her place at the piano, Hino grabbed her violin and bow from her case to prepare herself for a read-through of the piece. Fuyuumi began playing the accompaniment at a slower tempo than usual to guide Hino through the process a little easier. Hino began playing the melody to the best of her ability, missing some notes on occasion. As Fuyuumi noticed the violinists' occasional intonation hurdles she decides to double the melody on the piano. Hino continues to play along with piano accompaniment now with the added melody and her intonation started to improve. Fuyuumi noticed that Hino was using less bow causing her tone to sound thin so she slightly increased the dynamic range while maintaining the same tempo. At the same time Hino started using more bow and her tone improved dramatically to which point she started to notice the difference in her sound.

'I don't believe it,' thought Hino in excitement while focusing on the music. 'The sound is incredible. I never thought that I could make my violin sound this amazing. It's so wonderful.'

As they reached the end of the piece, there was a momentary pause. As Hino rested her instrument she was stunned by the improvement in her overall sound. "That was amazing," said Hino. "I admit that I was having a bad day before you came in but now I feel great! We'll have to rehearse together more often. Thank you, Fuyuumi," she said cheerfully.

Fuyuumi looked back into Hino's eyes for a moment and smiled. "You're welcome, Kahoko. I'm so happy that you're feeling better," she said blushing as she closed her eyes and began fantasizing. Hino had no clue what was on Fuyuumi's mind and looked puzzled.

Fuyuumi suddenly came to her senses. "Well, I'd better find another practice room. I'll see you later, Kahoko," said Fuyuumi leaving the practice room.

"Later, Fuyuumi," replied Hino forgetting about the moment. She looked at her violin with the notion that her skill was improving and smiled confidently.

* * *

**Part 3 – The Motivational Speech**

* * *

The competitors that had argued earlier sat in the conference room, waiting for Kanazawa and Kira, for a second chance at making their selections for the performance. Hino and Fuyuumi had not shown up either. All of them sat in seats apart from each other, avoiding any conversation as to not risk ruffling each other's feathers. Shimizu on the other hand was asleep. The silence was getting to Hihara to the point where he could take it no longer.

"Gyah!" yelled Hihara in frustration, which caused everybody else to jump out of their seats. "Alright, you guys. I can't take this anymore. What are we, some dysfunctional rock band here? We've got to get ourselves out of this situation."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" asked Kaji, looking away.

"OK, it was obvious that we were all after Kahoko, right?" began Hihara. "If any one of us wants to win her over then perhaps we've got to change our personalities, not only for her own good but for ours as well," he proposed.

"I don't think I'm quite ready for that," said Tsukimori with his eyes closed, massaging his forehead with his fingertips.

"Me neither," agreed Tsuchiura looking the other way.

Hihara observed his classmates within the conference room, looking distraught at the fact that no progress had been made to their situation. He proposed an alternative. "Well, then maybe we should start looking for different girls to go out with."

The rest of the members started listening as they turned their attention to Hihara, with the exception of Shimizu who was still asleep.

"If none of us can have Kahoko then maybe we should start looking elsewhere," said Hihara. "And I know that some of us are closer than others to landing ourselves a date with a girl."

"Which one of us do you think fits that category?" asked Yunoki.

"Well, you for starters," concluded Hihara. "You've got your fiancé Ayano… unless you're no longer interested then I could have a chance at her…"

Yunoki instantly rose from his seat. "Don't you even think about it," he jealously demanded.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" said Hihara nervously. "See? You still care about her," he continued to which Yunoki was taken aback. "She's your fiancé, your _future wife_, and if you care about her enough that you wouldn't let anybody else take her, then you're already ahead of the rest of us here," concluded Hihara.

Yunoki looked back in disbelief, realizing that can't deny his friend to which he smiles confidently.

"You're right," said Yunoki. "I do care about Ayano enough that I won't give her up that easily. You're a true friend, Hihara. Thanks," he said with self-esteem.

Hihara looked proud of his friend for making a breakthrough. He leaned over to Yunoki. "Does this mean I can go out your sister then?" asked Hihara from the corner of his mouth.

"We'll talk about that," answered Yunoki in a sinister fashion, to which Hihara looked nervous.

In an instant an imaginary light bulb was lit over Tsuchiura. "You've got a point there, Hihara," he said, standing from his seat. "If I can't have Hino, then maybe I'll have her accompanist, Manami," he proclaimed.

"That's what I'm talkin' about," said Hihara excitedly. "And she's pretty cute, too," he noted to the pianist.

"Excuse me," began Kaji, "But I don't know any other girls around here that I could simply ask out on a date."

Tsuchiura pulled out a pen and wrote down on a sticky note. "Why don't you give this girl a call?" he suggested, handing the note to Kaji with a name and number.

"Hmmm?" said Kaji, raising one eyebrow. "Mizue Sakimoto?" he read from the note.

"Isn't that your ex-girlfriend?" whispered Hihara to Tsuchiura, looking stunned.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for the rest of us here," said Tsuchiura with a one sided grin, to which Hihara smiled back in a similar fashion.

"Tsukimori…" said Hihara as the rest of the group shifts their attention to the violinist. "We've all heard that Megumi Shouji likes you, maybe you should ask _her_ out."

Tsukimori turned his eyes toward his fellow competitors. "You can forget about it," he said turned away. "Wha…!?" he said in panic as he turned back to see everyone else looking at him with sad puppy-dog eyes, begging him to consider. "Fine, I'll do it," he said unenthusiastically taking a deep breath.

"Alright, we're making progress here," said Hihara. At this point Shimizu woke up. "Oh, Shimizu. Good, you're awake."

"I just had this amazing dream about Kahoko's friends, Mio and Nao," said Shimizu slowly. "But I'm not at liberty to discuss what happened," he continued to which everybody else looked at each other nervously, not bothering to ask for any details.

"I… think… that's… everyone… then…" said Hihara, to which he shook his head to brush away the dirty thoughts. "Anyway, we can't keep fighting amongst ourselves over Kahoko anymore. It's just going to break us apart. We can still be good friends with her, but we've all accepted the fact that we no longer have a chance with her. We've gotten over her and we've moved on, so let's get back to doing what we do best; playing music!"

Everyone else looked at each other, nodding their heads in agreement with a boost in confidence after Hihara's motivational speech.

"Alright then, let's do this!" shouted Hihara, fist bumping the air.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Hino with her arms crossed, raising one eye brow in confusion.

Everyone else turned around startled not noticing Hino walking into the conference room. Fuyuumi nervously stood behind Hino for protection after being scared by Hihara's raised voice.

"Well, anyway…" started Hino taking a deep breath, "I want to apologize to all of you for snapping at you. I don't want any hard feelings between any of you and I still want for all of us to be friends no matter what. I'm sorry," she concluded with sincerity.

"Oh that's OK, we're…" said the male competitors simultaneously. "Oh, you go ahead…" they said to each other in sync. "We're sorry that…" they said at the same time, cutting themselves off as they repeated the same pattern.

"I've got this," said Tsuchiura raising his hand speaking for his fellow male competitors. "Hino, we're sorry. We've created a hostile environment for you and that was unacceptable. We promise that we won't do it again. Will you forgive us?" asked Tsuchiura.

Hino looked back and smiled at the rest of her fellow musicians. "Yes, of course. I want to make sure that we all do our best in the competition. I don't want to think of it as seeing who can rank the highest, but rather just getting out there and playing good music. And I believe that we can do that."

As Hino was finishing her explanation Kanazawa walked in. "And I'm glad that you all could handle this so well," he said to which everyone turned to his attention, looking surprised as they didn't notice his presence. "Not only have you all grown as musicians but also as human beings. Even with each of your different personalities in the same room you were able to work together for the same purpose; to play music for your enjoyment. And I'm proud of you guys," he finished as he took his seat.

"Anyway, while we're waiting for Kira to show up how about we discuss our selections for the competition in the meantime?" requested Kanazawa.

Hino observed the scene as the group gathered for the discussion and smiled confidently knowing that there was water under the bridge after the negative situation was put behind them.

* * *

**Part 4 – A Special Someone**

* * *

While Tsuchiari was continuing his piano performance, Fuyuumi stood in one corner of the back stage, feeling relaxed with her eyes closed and a genuine smile of happiness on her face while she awaits for her performance.

"Fuyuumi," said Hino which brought the clarinetist out of her state of mind as she opened her eyes to see the violinist cheerfully smile back at her. "You don't look nervous at all, in fact you look very happy this evening. Did something happen recently?"

"Oh, well…" started Fuyuumi nervously. "Actually there's a special someone here tonight to see my performance, and I'm looking very forward to playing it for them."

Hino's face lit up as she heard Fuyuumi's good news. "Wow, you're so lucky," she said. "I have to admit that I'm kind of jealous, but at the same time I'm so happy for you," she concluded as the applause of Tsuchiari's performance echoed from the concert hall.

"Well… thank you, Kahoko," said Fuyuumi blushing.

"So who is he?" asked Hino.

"What? Uh…" began Fuyuumi, looking nervous and hesitating to answer her question. "Well…"

"Next is Fuyuumi Shouko, playing the _Sonata in F Minor for Clarinet and Piano_ by Brahms," was announced.

"Oh, you're up. Good luck, Fuyuumi," said Hino enthusiastically.

Fuyuumi looked back at Hino, who was radiant with joy about the news of her 'special someone' waiting to hear her performance, and regained her confidence. "Thank you, Kahoko" said Fuyuumi. She and her accompanist promptly walked on stage being greeted with a welcoming applause, while Hino and the rest of the group watched from back stage.

As the piano began the four measure intro, the clarinet melody joined in with the accompaniment while the pleasant sounds from Fuyuumi's instrument filled the concert hall as the audience and the judges listened intently, feeling relaxed. The group back stage watched together with just as much enthusiasm as the rest of the audience.

"Wow," said Hino with whisper-quiet excitement. "This is the best I've ever heard her play," she continued.

"No kidding. She must have worked really hard to play this well," said Tsuchiura smiling.

"Well, she told me that she's performing this for someone here tonight. Perhaps it's her date. I wonder who he is," said Hino.

As Hino finished her explanation, everyone else around her looked nervously at each other as if they knew something that she didn't. Tsuchiura leaned over to Tsukimori. "Does Hino not know about… Shouko?" he whispered to the violinist, to which Tsukimori looked back, shaking his head with uncertainty and shrugging his shoulders.

"Hmmm? Did you say something?" asked Hino politely to Tsuchiura.

"No, no, no," he retorted nervously, raising his hands to which everyone else looks away without acknowledgement, leaving Hino looking puzzled to which she shrugs it off and continues watching Fuyuumi's performance.

As Fuyuumi continued the rest of her performance, the presence of a pleasant aura surrounded her that was felt within the concert hall as she played the bittersweet clarinet melody with all of her heart. As she slowly ended the last few measures with a major chord at the very end, there was a moment of silence before she relaxed and suddenly the concert hall was overwhelmed with a thunderous applause for her performance. The entire audience, as well as the judges, arose from their seats for an enormous standing ovation while Fuyuumi and her accompanist bowed and promptly walked off stage as to not delay the concert. Back stage the group applauded and cheered for Fuyuumi's stunning performance.

"Fuyuumi, that was wonderful," said Hino enthusiastically, placing her hands on the clarinetist's shoulders. "I'm sure that whoever you played that for is going to be very happy for you," she continued to which Fuyuumi kindly smiled back at her, looking sensually into her eyes and feeling the warm comfort of the violinist's hands on her shoulders.

* * *

After the concert was over the competitors gathered in the dressing room, putting their instruments away and discussing where to go to celebrate after a successful performance while the night was still young.

"Sorry guys," said Hino regretfully, "I wish I could join you but I'm too tired to go out tonight."

"Well, sorry you can't make it," said Tsuchiura, "But the rest of us can celebrate in your honor."

Hino's accompanist, Manami, walks over and puts her arm around Tsuchiura's arm. "Shall we go then?" she asked Tsuchiura.

"Sure," answered Tsuchiura accepting her request.

Hino looked surprised as she observed her accompanist and her fellow competitor looking like a couple on a date. "What the…? You mean you two are going out?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well, this could be counted as our unofficial first date," replied Manami. "Later, Hino," she finished waving as she and Tsuchiura walked out of the dressing room, leaving Hino looking speechless.

"Tsuchiura, wait up," said Tsukimori. "Megumi and I are coming too."

"Wait, what!? Tsukimori and Megumi are going out too!?" said Hino looking shocked as she observed the blue-haired violinist with Megumi happily in tow joining Tsuchiura and Manami.

"Later, Kahoko," said Hihara cheerfully as Yunoki's sister Miyabi put her arm around Hihara's arm.

Yunoki and his fiancé, Ayano, walked hand in hand looking cheerful, waving to Hino as they join the rest of the group.

'Wait, isn't that Yunoki's sister with Hihara?' Hino thought to herself as she looked stunned.

"You have a good evening, Hino," said Kaji waving out the door with Mizue in tow.

"Tsuchiura's… ex-girlfriend… with Kaji…" said Hino to herself.

"See you later, Kahoko," said Nao. "You're missing out tonight," she continued as she was holding Shimizu's arm while Mio was holding his other arm. Shimizu had the look on his face of that of a half-asleep ladies' man. At this point Hino's jaw dropped.

"I'm so lucky to be going out with Shimizu," said Mio excitedly.

"You think that _you're_ lucky…" responded Nao pointing her eyes at Shimizu while the trio walked out the door.

Hino was speechless as she witnessed her fellow competing musicians leaving the dressing room with their dates, feeling slightly jealous since she's by herself but at the same time feeling very proud for them. 'It's really happening,' thought Hino smiling in relief. 'We're all starting to change a little bit.'

* * *

As Hino stuck around the dressing room after her fellow competitors had left, she allowed some time for the attendees in the concert hall to leave so that she may walk home quietly and peacefully by herself after a long day. As she walked out of the concert hall she noticed that the sun had just set and there was not a soul in sight, to which she sighed with relief and began her trek back home. As she started walking, she heard a voice from the side of the building.

"Kahoko."

Hino immediately turned to see Fuyuumi smiling back at her. "Oh, Fuyuumi," replied Hino, who approached her. "I can't tell you enough how great your performance tonight was," she continued ecstatically.

"Thank you, Kahoko," said Fuyuumi blushing.

"So," began Hino enthusiastically, "Who's the 'special someone' that you played that piece for?"

"Well…" began Fuyuumi who began to look slightly nervous. "Are you sure you want to know?" she asked.

"Well, yeah. I want to know who it is," answered Hino excitedly.

Fuyuumi still looked nervous as she looked away for a moment.

"Well?" said Hino with anticipation to which Fuyuumi remained silent, still turning her eyes away.

As Hino still received no answer she began to lose interest. She crossed her arms and turned her head slightly sideways with her eyes closed, looking doubtful. She sighed to herself in disappointment when she suddenly felt Fuyuumi's hands gently embrace her.

"Huh?" said Hino who opened her eyes to which Fuyuumi immediately kissed her lips.

Hino's eyes opened even wider as she felt Fuyuumi's lips pressed against her own in a deep and passionate kiss. Hino was in a state of disbelief, remaining motionless as if time had stopped around her. Fuyuumi pulled back after a long kiss while Hino was completely breathless.

"It's you, Kahoko," said Fuyuumi, looking passionately into her eyes. "When I performed not only tonight's piece but all of those pieces during the competition… and accompanied you when you played your violin… it was all for you, because I love you. Oh, Kahoko…" Fuyummi began to motion forward for another kiss.

"W… whoa! Hold on," said Hino, coming to her senses and backing off from Fuyuumi. "Listen. Fuyuumi, you're one of the sweetest girls that I know, but I don't know if I could see myself in a relationship with another girl. I'm sorry, but… I just don't know… I'm sorry, I have to go home now."

Hino quickly turned to run back home, leaving a trail of tears as she ran. Fuyuumi stood there, watching her run away, reaching out to her but not following her as she felt it would be useless to run after her.

"Kahoko…" said Fuyuumi quietly to herself in sadness.

* * *

As Hino made it back home she quickly ran up the stairs to her room without acknowledging anybody, quietly shutting and locking the door. As tears of pain and guilt poured from her eyes she slowly trembled to the floor with her back against the door.

'Why?' Hino thought to herself, palming her face as she continued sobbing quietly. 'Why did it have to be like this?' she continued in her mind.

Feeling guilty for turning away from all of her classmates in the competition, Hino continued crying her eyes out throughout most of the night, getting little sleep.

* * *

**Part 5 – Green Tea For Two**

* * *

Hino was walking by herself in the downtown area along the nearby shops, feeling tired and depressed and experiencing brief flashbacks of Fuyuumi kissing her and professing her love for her. Since Hino ran from Fuyuumi, not having seen her since then, she speculates that she may have broken her heart.

'What am I going to do?' thought Hino. 'I've rejected _everybody_ in the music department. And out of all of them that could do something so special for me, it had to be Fuyuumi. I would never want to hurt her but I ran away from her. I don't know what I going to do now.'

"Hino!"

The violinist snapped out of her thought to hear a voice call in front of her from a distance. She looked up to see Kanazawa's assistant carrying his violin case and greeting her with a friendly smile.

"Ousaki," she acknowledged. "Nice to see you out here. What are you up to?" asked Hino, now trying too hard not to look depressed.

"I just did some performing out in the park," answered Ousaki, looking up into the clear blue sky and feeling the warmth of the sunshine on his face. "It's a perfect day to do so, plus the positive feedback is very encouraging."

"Oh, I see," said Hino.

Ousaki looked back and noticed the pain in her eyes. "Is everything alright, Hino?" he asked.

"Huh?" she replied, now realizing that she can't hide her sadness any longer.

"Something's bothering you, I know it," said Ousaki. "I was just going to get something to drink here. How'd you like to join me?" he asked politely.

Hino looked back at Ousaki, whose face was beaming with kindness. "Sure," she answered, smiling back.

* * *

Hino and Ousaki sat on opposite ends of an outdoor table at a nearby restaurant sipping on cups of green tea. Hino feels more relaxed with the presence of a familiar face that she can trust.

"So what was bothering you earlier, if you don't mind my asking?" said Ousaki.

"Oh. Uh…" replied Hino, looking hesitant to answer.

"After a stellar performance last night I wouldn't imagine that you'd be bummed out the next day. Are you sure that you're alright?" asked Ousaki, to which Hino began to look nervous and started looking away.

"Well, I suppose you don't have to talk about if it's _that_ personal. I was just making sure that nothing was wrong. My apologies for trying to intrude on your privacy," said Ousaki as sincerely as he could.

"Oh, don't worry about it," replied Hino. "I'm alright. I appreciate your concern," she finished sunnily.

"Oh, good," said Ousaki, feeling relieved. "By the way, I heard from Kanazawa that there was a bit of a… conflict, shall we say, between you and some of the members of the competition."

As Hino heard this, she began to look worried that she may have done something terribly wrong.

"Well, I have to say," continued Ousaki, "I'm very impressed that you were able to fend them off if they were beginning to cause problems. However, I'd recommend telling an official about it _if_ it does happen again."

Hino looked embarrassed as she didn't even think about that beforehand. "Oh, sorry," she said scratching the back of her head.

"Don't worry," said Ousaki, "At least it's done and over with. Who knows, it could have gotten uglier over time so you should be thankful that you stood up for yourself. If anybody higher up than Kanazawa would have intruded on the incident between the competing musicians, they would have been kicked out of the academy for sure. We wouldn't have been able to find replacements in time to fill that concert hall for the competition and the music department would have been finished. We should consider ourselves lucky _that_ didn't happen," he finished, followed by a brief moment of silence until he realized that explained too much information.

"Oh jeez, there I go again," said Ousaki, palming his forehead in embarrassment. "Shame on me for trying to get into other peoples' business. I'm terribly sorry about that. Please don't tell Kanazawa," he begged light heartedly.

"Oh, no it's alright," said Hino, "I guess I just needed some company to help me feel better," she finished as she and Ousaki both subtly laughed it off.

As they both go back to drinking their tea, the outdoor speaker begins playing a familiar piece. After a brief musical introduction, a clarinet begins to play as it turns out to be the _Sonata in F Minor for Clarinet and Piano_ by Brahms. Immediately it triggers Hino's senses as it resonates through her, leaving her motionless and oblivious to everything around her as it reminds her of Fuyuumi who played it the night before. As the music continues, Hino begins to envision the moment when Fuyuumi kissed her and told her how much she loved her. At this moment Hino's eyes begin to well up with tears as the memory relapses while she listens to the beautiful clarinet melody. All this time, Ousaki was looking out from the table, listening to the music in enjoyment and conducting it in the air with his index finger. As he shifts his eyes toward Hino, he stops his imaginary conducting and begins to look concerned for a moment.

"Hino," asked Ousaki assertively, breaking her out of her state. "I'm serious, are you sure everything is alright with you?" he asked.

"Uh… yes, I'm fine," she answered nervously. "I can assure you that I'm going to be alright."

Looking confused for a moment, Ousaki then sighed with relief.

"This clarinet sonata is really pretty, isn't it?" he asked as he looked back out. "I was listening to the recording of Shouko's performance of it from last night. There was something about it that was very captivating, like I could listen to it all day if I wanted," he finished enthusiastically.

At this moment, Hino looked surprised. "Huh? You mean you have a recording of it?" she asked.

"Well, yeah," answered Ousaki, "All of the competitions have been recorded for our archives."

"Do you think that you could make me a copy of all of the competitions from last year as well as the one from last night?" requested Hino.

"Well, sure. Absolutely," beamed Ousaki. "I could do that for you after we get done here."

"Thank you so much," said Hino, looking hopeful. She and Ousaki finish their green tea together as they continue listening to the Brahms sonata to the last note of the piece.

* * *

**Part 6 – The Long-Awaited Romance**

* * *

Hino sat quietly in her bedroom listening with her eyes closed to the recordings of Fuyuumi's performances from the competition, envisioning the clarinetist on stage. Hino remained focused as she listened to every note that Fuyuumi played. Then suddenly she envisioned herself and Fuyuumi kissing each other, to which her eyes opened. She was motionless as the memory remains vividly in her mind while she continues listening to the music.

'Why do I have this feeling inside all of a sudden? Why is my heart racing?' she thought while the bittersweet clarinet kept playing. At this point, tears began to run down from Hino's eyes. 'Could it be…?' she continued in her thoughts. As soon as she realized her true feelings toward Fuyuumi, she knew what she had to do.

* * *

The sun had set when Hino arrived at Fuyuumi's house, which resembled their family vacation home that was used during the competition. She observed the mansion-like house in amazement.

"I don't believe it," said Hino to herself. "Her family must be very rich if they can afford a house like this _and_ a vacation home like they have." She walks up to the front door and rings the doorbell. After a moment Fuyuumi slowly opens the door and was surprised to see Hino so unexpectedly.

"Kahoko…" whispered Fuyuumi, beginning to blush and standing motionless. She eventually steps outside and closes the door behind her. Hino and Fuyuumi stand only inches apart from each other, looking into each other's eyes as a light breeze crosses their presence.

"Kahoko," said Fuyuumi nervously. "What brings you here so late at ni…?"

Before she could finish her question, Hino gently puts her hands on Fuyuumi's shoulders and kisses her. At this moment Fuyuumi was taken by surprise, but soon relaxes and closes her eyes as she feels Hino's lips against hers, cherishing the moment as long as possible. Hino pulls back and looks into Fuyuumi's eyes.

"Kahoko…" said Fuyuumi.

"Fuyuumi," said Hino softly, "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for not noticing that you performed all of those pieces for me. I listened to all of your performances after you told me, and I was so moved by them. You're the only one who did that for me and it made me so happy. I know in my heart that _you_ are the one for me. Fuyuumi… I love you."

"Oh, Kahoko…" said Fuyuumi as tears of joy filled her eyes.

Hino and Fuyuumi kiss, officially solidifying their love for each other. Hino slowly glided her hands around Fuyuumi as the clarinetist gently guides her arms around the violinist's shoulders as they endure each other's warm embrace. They quickly pull away, looking into each other's eyes.

"Kahoho," said Fuyuumi, "Shall we…?"

"Yes," answered Hino. "Oh, Fuyuumi. I want you so much right now," she continued in desperation.

"Oh, Kahoko," responded Fuyuumi as they kiss each other.

Fuyuumi then holds Hino's hand as they walk back inside the house and leads the violinist by the hand to her room. As they enter her room, Fuyuumi quietly shuts and locks the door behind her. Fuyuumi and Hino look into each other's eyes with fiery passion then immediately kiss and embrace each other, moving their lips deeper and more passionately. As they continued kissing they began to slowly undress each other one layer of clothing at a time, never unlocking their lips, until eventually they were caressing each other in their silky smooth, all-natural femininities. They led themselves onto Fuyuumi's large bed and gently laid themselves down while continuing their passionate love-making. Hino began to kiss repeatedly down Fuyuumi's neck while guiding her lips toward one of her breasts where she repeatedly kisses her nipple and glides her hand to Fuyuumi's other breast to gently caress it. Hino begins to stroke the tip of her tongue around Fuyuumi's nipple for a moment and then begins sucking on it to which Fuyuumi takes a deep breath of air, realizing how much she longed for this romance with the crimson-haired violinist. Soon afterward, Hino started kissing repeatedly down Fuyuumi's waist, gliding her hands along with her trail of kisses. Eventually Hino reaches eye level with Fuyuumi's innocent sex, tasting the sweetness with the tip of her tongue, causing Fuyuumi to gasp from her tingled sensations. Fuyuumi slowly wraps her legs around Hino's neck, to which Hino begins licking Fuyuumi's clitoris repeatedly, enhancing its rich flavor, causing Fuyuumi to breathe even harder and faster. Hino then forces her tongue as deep into Fuyuumi's sex as possible, stroking even faster than before, until Fuyuumi gasps her deepest breath of air, clenching her legs as she climaxes. Fuyuumi's fresh juices begin to flow from within as Hino tastes the sweetness, licking the honey clean from around her sex to which Fuyuumi relaxes and begins to breathe easily. Hino makes her way up kissing Fuyuumi's lovely body until their eyes meet, to which Hino finishes with a deep and passionate kiss to Fuyuumi's lips.

"Fuyuumi…." said Hino softly, looking sensually into her lovers eyes.

"Oh, Kahoko," said Fuyuumi, "I want you right now. I want to…"

"Yes. Oh, yes," said Hino, accepting Fuyuumi's request. "Fuyuumi, make love to me," she continued desperately.

Without hesitation, Hino and Fuyuumi share another kiss, with their encircling tongues dancing for joy as Fuyuumi tastes the rich flavor of her own nectar in Hino's mouth. Nearly repeating the same sexual motions as Hino, Fuyuumi then begins kissing repeatedly along the violinist's neck. She smoothly glides her hands onto Hino's breasts, with one hand caressing one and the other to gently grab a hold of while Fuyuumi licks Hino's nipple, to which the violinist begins breathing deeper. While still stroking her tongue onto Hino's nipple, Fuyuumi gently slides her hand down to Hino's clitoris, using the tip of her index finger to caress her moist sex, to which Hino starts gasping for air at the sensation. Fuyuumi then begins kissing down Hino's waist and eventually reaches her sex which she begins kissing repeatedly, tasting the sweetness. As Hino wrapped her legs around Fuyuumi's neck, the clarinetist begins stroking the tip of her tongue against the violinist's clitoris repeatedly, which begins to moisten with the sweet juices from within Hino's delicate sex. At this point Hino begins to breathe even harder and more rapidly, which acknowledges Fuyuumi to force her tongue as far into Hino's clitoris as possible, stroking her tongue even faster and harder until Hino gasps her deepest breath yet, her leg muscles tighten around Fuyuumi's neck and her nectar flows from her sex as Fuyuumi savors the rich flavor, licking the rest of the honey from around Hino's sex. As Hino relaxes, Fuyuumi makes her way up next to the violinist, wraps her arms around her and kisses her deeply and passionately. Fuyuumi then looks into Hino's eyes.

"Kahoko, am I really the one for you?" asked Fuyuumi.

"Yes. Of course you are," answered Hino smiling back. "There is nobody else in the world that I would share my true love with. It's all for you, Fuyuumi."

"I love you, Kahoko," said Fuyuumi softly.

"I love you too, Fuyuumi," whispered Hino.

They shared one more kiss as they embraced each other warmly before Fuyuumi lays her head down, closes her eyes and falls asleep. Hino rests her head, gently stroking Fuyuumi's hair while she watches her sleeping peacefully before she closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep.

* * *

**Finale – Heart Of The Sunrise**

* * *

Hino and Fuyuumi stood in the garden outside of the house, wearing exquisite robes as they embrace each other while they look out into the scenery to catch the sunrise. As a gentle fresh morning breeze blows in the air, the birds chirp beautifully and the morning dew glistens from the grass in the field, the sun begins rising slowly over the mountains as the light shines brightly overhead, signifying a brand new day.

"Oh Kahoko, this is so romantic. It's so lovely," said Fuyuumi blushing, embracing Hino even closer.

"Yes," replied Hino, who turned Fuyuumi's eyes toward her. "It's just as lovely as you are," she concluded, smiling sensually to her lover.

"Kahoko…" said Fuyuumi softly.

They kissed while the sun continued to rise. As Hino and Fuyuumi continued kissing each other passionately, caressing each other in the dawn of the new day, they were disrupted by the sound of a camera shot. They turned suddenly to see Nami taking a picture of them and their fellow musicians in the competition as well as their dates standing in a row, all running on no sleep for nearly two days.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" yelled Hino, completely distraught.

"Nice," said Hihara with a grin of satisfaction, nodding his head slightly.

"Very nice," confirmed Tsuchiura in a similar fashion.

"Indeed," agreed Kaji the same way.

"This is going to be my most popular story yet," said Nami as she attempted to take another picture to which her camera started making a rewinding noise. "Huh?" she said as she noticed that she had used the end of her film indicating that all hopes of getting a picture of Hino and Fuyuumi kissing were dashed. "Well, so much for that," she concluded in disappointment.

Hino observed the group and noticed that they were wearing the same outfits from the concert but were now filthy. "Don't tell me you've been partying since the concert was over," she said assertively to which the group slowly nodded their heads in confirmation. Hino then noticed that Tsukimori and Yunoki had their faces drawn on with a permanent marker. "What happened to you two?" she said pointing to the victims of the crime.

"We both fell asleep during our partying and somebody drew on us," answered Tsukimori embarrassed.

"Sorry about that," replied Shimizu slowly, looking half-asleep as usual. "I couldn't resist," he continued while Mio and Nao were holding back laughter to which Hino sighed, lowering her head in shame.

"Anyway," began Yunoki, "I think we're done partying. Would it be alright if we crashed here long enough to recharge our batteries?" he asked.

"Well…uh…" started Fuyuumi nervously. "I suppose so," she answered forlornly.

"Thanks," said the rest of the group simultaneously as they slowly shifted their way single file into Fuyuumi's house to finally get some sleep.

Hino and Fuyuumi stood in the garden, still embracing each other, reeling from humiliation as their romantic morning was ruined. "Well, there goes our romantic morning to ourselves," said Hino taking a deep breath in disappointment.

"No," said Fuyuumi sensually to which Hino looked into her eyes in question. "I couldn't imagine it any other way. As long as you're with me, then that's all I need," she concluded softly.

Hino looked into her eyes and smiled. "I love you, Fuyuumi," she said.

"I love you too, Kahoko," replied Fuyuumi.

Hino and Fuyuumi kissed and embraced each other closely, professing their love for each other as the first rays of the rising sun on the new day shine upon them.

**Finé**

Author's notes: "Well, that was a fun spring break. I have to say that I'm proud of this work considering that it's been months since I wrote my last fan fiction. I'm a musician myself so I was intrigued by La Corda D'Oro since it's about music students and overall I think that it's an OK anime. Although I admit that when it comes to anime about music students I still like Nodame Cantabile better (Who wants to see a crossover fan fiction between Nodame Cantabile and La Corda D'Oro? I call dibs on writing it!). So what inspired me to write a fan fiction like this? Well, since Kahoko Hino didn't profess her love to any of the male characters in the anime and Fuyuumi Shouko seemed _suspiciously_ lesbian I just had to write this. After all, who knows what they could have done sharing that bed together in Episode 6. Why was Kahoko's heart racing? Oh, I have an idea. Right? Anyway, please feel free to drop me a line as I'm open to all of your comments but I can't guarantee that I'll respond to them right away as I'm busy with my personal life. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Have a wonderful day, now."


End file.
